The Edge of Eternity
by Xeneric
Summary: Sakura Haruno had one mission: to stop this war from ever happening. Who said she couldn't mend a few problems along the way? Sakura-centric Time Travel AU
1. Chapter 1

The putrid smell of flames invaded my nostrils, causing me to gag. My limp body bounced as I was being carried in someone's arms.

Due to his chakra signature, I was quickly able to deduce it was Pein, former leader of the Akatsuki.

His heart was beating rapidly as I felt him propel us into the air. While he was doing so, I attempted to convince him that I was asleep. Keeping my chakra at ease and maintaining a steady heartbeat. Obviously, he was not easily fooled.

"Haruno, I am aware that you're awake."

His deep, monotonous voice was nearly a whisper. I decided to open my eyes, but I was met with black and red cloth.

Jerking my head away from his chest, I took in my surroundings, my heart clenching as I saw the ashen remains of my village.

Looking up at the pierced ginger, I began to think about our current situation and how we got into it.

Yet another war was started by Uchiha Madara. Pein, the leader of the Akatsuki, thought it would be wise to begin an alliance with Konoha and Tsunade agreed, despite her higher ups disapproving .

Unfortunately, even with the extra help, Madara had already destroyed most of villages, leaving us for last.

As Pein jumped from on tree branch to the next, I found it hard to remember how I had gotten into his arms.

"Pein-sama," I called to him, gaining a soft grunt in response. Narrowing my eyes in confusion, I looked away, almost sheepishly.

"What happened, before I.. went unconscious?" I assumed he found me in such a state, I just don't remember what caused it.

The older man's brow furrowed in thought as if he were pondering if he was going to tell me or not.

With a sigh, he began to speak.

"As I arrived on the scene, you were on the ground unconscious with a head injury. How it got healed, I am still unsure of," he raised a knowing eyebrow at me, before continuing to speak.

"Naruto Uzumaki had embraced the full power of the nine-tails, though it did nothing but fuel Madara's powers." He clenched his fist, a subtle action that spoke volumes.

"I take it, that you attempted to save him." He paused, looking away. "Your attempts were in vain, and he died by the hands of Madara."

Tears shone in my eyes as his words echoed in my mind.

I looked up at the man again, and his usually impassive face stated it all. He really respected Naruto, and he was almost as torn up by his death as I was.

Memories flooded back as I thought to before I had went unconscious.

Despite the attempts to keep Naruto hidden, _Madara had found him._

I had protected Naruto as much as I could, but the Uchiha had thrown me like a rag doll.

Thankfully, a shadow clone of Naruto's was able to catch me, but not before asking  
where 'Sasuke-Teme' was.

It broke my heart to tell him that his dear friend was dead, and it also broke my heart to tell him that all of our other comrades had shared his fate.

That was the trigger for him and he became one with Kyuubi in a way that was indescribable.

The amount of chakra my friend had released had sent me flying backwards, causing me to crash into a wall, knocking me unconscious.

I touched the back of my head where my injury should have been. But it wasn't, and I only had a seal to thank. There wasn't even any throbbing or pain.

Speaking of Pein, his voice had knocked me out of my thoughts.

He had informed me that Tsunade was waiting for us, for she had devised a plan that may help with our situation.

Confused, I decided it was best not to question the pierced man about the fifth Hokage's plan. I instead noticed how close we were to our assumed destination.

"Pein-sama-" I began, gaining his attention. He gave me a confused side glance as he jumped from tree to tree. "I can run the rest of the way. There is no need to carry me for much longer." I told him, making sure not to offend him.

The ginger gave a small smile and patted me on my head. "I'm holding you because the process of which Tsunade is trying may take a lot of your chakra." He said bluntly. I nodded, choosing not to say anything else until we reached our destination.

-Page break-

As we reached the Hokage's office, I stared behind us, watching my village- my _home_ burn.

Entering the office, my heart clenched as I laid my eyes on Tsunade.

 _My teacher, my Hokage...my comrade._

She's never looked this fragile before, her blonde hair unruly, her amber eyes laced with fear and fatigue.

When our eyes met, her face had lit up, looking much more like the woman I came to care for like a second mother.

"Sakura, you're safe!" She exclaimed, getting out of her tattered chair. She took me out of the pierced man's grasped and embraced me. Tears filled my eyes as I buried my head into her shoulders , but I wouldn't let them fall.

"Naruto," I gasped his name out, my heart clenching painfully yet again. "He's g-gone." I informed her, cringing as the fifth Hokage tightened her grip on me.

Pein coughed, getting both of our attention. They shared a look and the blonde haired woman sighed.

"Sakura, as you know-" She began. She inhaled sharply before retaining a straight face.

"There have been many casualties in this war." I nodded bitterly. Despite her calm demeanor, I could tell she was ready to break down at any moment.

"I thought that since all of our allies are dead, we have no other choice. Once Madara reaches us, there will be no way to stop him."

I nodded, waiting for her to explain her plan in more detail. She went to her desk and after doing several hand signs, a scroll appeared.

Becoming tense, my hands clenched, and my eyes narrowed.

"Do you need me to deliver the scroll?" I asked, ready to take on the task. She gave a raspy, bitter chuckle.

"I wish it were that easy, but no, I have something else in mind."

Sweat dripped down my brow, my stance probably showing how nervous I am. Sensing my uncertainty, Pein put his hand on my shoulder.

"Keep calm, Sakura."

That's all he said, and somehow, I wasn't as tense anymore. Nodding in appreciation at the self-proclaimed god, we both looked at Tsunade.

"Tsunade, what exactly are we doing with this scroll? You never answered me directly." Pein asked, and I had to agree with him.

Ignoring him, she looked at me and gave a shaky smile. "Sakura, would you do anything to stop this war?" She asked me, watching for my reaction carefully.

After I gave a curt nod, she smiled at me. A smile that reeked of desperation, regret and fear.

With an uncertain nod, she asked a question that caused me to do a double take.

-Page break-

Throughout the years, I have always regarded Tsunade with respect and trust. Never once questioning her motives, nor have I ever doubted her plans.

But this, holy hell, this was something that only an insane person could come up with.

I blinked at my former master, hoping I had misheard her.

"Can you please repeat that, m'lady?" I requested, to which she narrowed her eyes at me, crossing her arms over her large chest.

"I said, 'do you believe in time travel?'." Oh, _that_ makes sense.

I frowned, running a pale hand through my pink locks. I looked over to Pein in hopes of him being as confused as I am, to no avail.

"Listen Sakura, what I need you to do is go back in time." She explained casually.

I looked at the sannin as if she had sprouted two heads.

Had she cracked from all of the stress? Usually, her plans had some logic in them.

"Can you elaborate, Tsunade-Sama?" I asked, my voice sounding as cynical as I felt. She gave a coy smile, grabbing the scroll and shoving it into my hands. I slowly unraveled it, taking in every single piece of information.

"A time-travel justu?" I muttered, not believing my eyes.

"This is a forbidden scroll, how did yo-" I began, before looking over to Pein, who nodded slightly.

"Now," She began, cracking her knuckles. "This jutsu will send you back to a time after your birth, because your current mind will inhabit your past self."

She explained, leaving me to feel overwhelmed after processing all of this information, but then I noticed a few holes in her plan.

"What about my chakra? Will my body be able to maintain it?" I questioned, to which the sannin's shoulders started to sag.

"I doubt it, but to insure success on your mission, Pein and I are willing to give up our chakra to you."

My lips parted as a gasp escaped them.

Tsunade lightly touched my neck, where my seal was conveniently placed. I felt a strange surge of energy as our chakras mixed.

It took a full minute until she placed her fingers away from my neck. Looking at her, my eyes widened as her youthful appearance was eradicated, leaving the appearance of a middle aged woman.

She smiled weakly at me before receiving a soldier pill from Pein. I watched with confused eyes as her youth did not return.

Noticing my puzzled look, she sighed and began to speak.

"Compared to my original chakra, this is only enough to restore a genin's." Nodding, I jumped as I felt Pein's large hands against my neck.

By the time he was finished, he nearly collapsed, as he had nearly drained himself of all of his chakra.

Now that I was ready, I laid the scroll down on Tsunade's desk, biting down on my thumb hard. When I drew blood, I let my thumb glide over the paper, an intense focus in my eyes.

My hands and fingers were a blur, with a yell of the jutsu's name, it was complete.

My vision blurred slightly as everything began to disintegrate slowly.

As Tsunade and Pein wished me luck, their faces dropped instantly.

I watched helplessly as Madara stormed in. He teleported behind Tsunade in a flash, slitting her throat in an instant.

The last thing I saw was Madara's grin, and the last thing I felt was another strange surge of energy.


	2. Chapter 2

I bit back a scream as I awoke to a reenactment of the Uchiha massacre taking place on my neck. Biting my lip as hard as I could, I slowly made my way into my old bathroom, wincing at every step I took.

Some pain gnaws at you, throbbing and pulsing, but this was on a whole different level. Tilting my head so I could see the area in which I was hurting, my eyes widened as they landed on my seal. It's usual lavender colour was replaced by a deep red. Other than that, the whole side of my neck was a bright pink in contrast to the rest of my body.

My hand trailed down to reach for some healing ointment when I remembered the situation I was in. Staring at my reflection, a noise of surprise escaped my lips as I came face to face with my twelve year old self.

I clenched my left fist in pain as my right hand began to heal my neck.

 _Such a strange sight_ , I mused to myself; indeed it was. A scrawny child who looked as if she couldn't hurt a fly, performing slightly advanced medical ninjutsu. I sighed as my neck went numb, examining my appearance once more.

Long, non-matted hair, pale face that lacked any scars, large doe-like eyes that couldn't possibly strike fear into the heart of anyone. I glared at my appearance, a captious look in my eyes; I looked so weak..

Running my hands through my hair, I realized that my seal stood out like a sore thumb, and anyone who saw it would be suspicious. Furrowing my brows, I styled my hair in a way that would cause it to be unnoticed, but I knew that it wouldn't stay during battle.

"I probably have a few turtlenecks in my wardrobe," I murmured while making my way to my room.

Turns out I had quite the number of turtlenecks, but I decided to just wrap gauze around my neck later so it wouldn't be as uncomfortable.

I stared at my alarm clock with half-lidded eyes. It was nearly time for me to get dressed for the academy. A sigh escaped my lips as I went through my wardrobe again.

Pulling out a few items, I nodded to myself before heading into the bathroom once more.

Undressing, I slipped into the shower, using this time to think about my situation.

 _Why this age? What could I possibly do as a child to stop the war?_

 **Well, we could stop Sasuke from ever meeting Madara, which could cause a chain reaction of his plans ceasing to work.**

My eyes widened at the voice inside my head, I hadn't heard inner in such a long time. Shaking my head, I smirked as the scalding hot water beat down on me.

 _Oh you're back?_ I questioned, before giving a rude snort. _And you're actually saying something smart for once, I'm almost proud of you._

Inner growled playfully, crossing her arms in my subconscious.

 **This is the thanks I get for being helpful? Fine, see if I care!** She scoffed, before grinning.

 **It's been awhile, 'Kura**. **Your boobs are smaller than usual.** My other personality teased. I pouted, squeezing a soapy washcloth over said chest area.

 _If I recall, you look just like me, so you can't say anything._ Inner responded to my jest with a loud laugh, urging me to look at her with my mind's eye.

Focusing some chakra into the center of my forehead, I closed my eyes, my jaw slackened at the sight of Inner.

She looked like a fusion between Tsunade and myself, albeit a bit younger. I raised an eyebrow at her, the unsaid question rang loudly,

Inner sighed, looking even more like Tsunade. She scratched the back of her head sheepishly, a grin twitching on her lips.

 **I've been pretty busy, Sakura. I'll explain soon, but you should probably answer the door.**

My eyes snapped open as my mother knocked on the door for probably the umpteenth time.

"Yes?" I called out weakly. Knowing that my mother was breathing, speaking, moving.. just knowing she was alive nearly made me cry.

"Sakura Haruno, you're gonna be late if you don't get out of the shower!" My eyes widened and in an instant, I hopped out of the shower, throwing on my clothes. I twisted the door handle before remember my seal.

A quiet curse escaped my lips as I rushed to wrap the gauze around my neck.

In a poof of smoke, I was in the doorway of my front door, stopping only to get my sandals on.

Waving goodbye to my father, I was gone in a flash.

-pagebreak-

I arrived just on time, a flurry of cherry blossoms catching the attention of a few people, namely Naruto, Ino and Iruka.

I sent a timid smile towards Iruka-sensei, which he returned, though his smile was slightly concerned.

I slowly made my way to the seat next to Naruto, smiling at the boy softly. I was about to greet him when the shrilling voice of Ino filled my ears.

"Hey, Forehead! You were too late and I got to sit next to Sasuke-kun!" I resist the urge to roll my eyes, deciding instead to smirk at her.

"Wow, good job! Was that your first mission as a kunoichi?" Ino looked confused at my sarcastic statement, before glaring at me, prompting me to sigh.

"We're genin now, and that means we have to take being ninja seriously. We can't be pent up on boys nor can we allow petty arguments to get in the way of our comradery." I bowed my head to the young Yamanaka, a sign of respect.

I heard a gasp from someone as I brought my head up with a determined look in my eye.

"As of today, I vow to be the best version of me that I can possibly be, and to ossify that promise, I shall bury the hatchet between us, so that we may become better ninja!" I bowed once again, before smiling shyly at her.

I watched with a sullen heart as Ino scoffed, flipping her hair behind her, nearly hitting Sasuke in the face.

"I bet that bogus speech was just a lie so I could let my guard down, but I'm not as stupid as you are, so I won't fall for it!" She boasted, causing nearly everyone to sweatdrop at her reaction.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw people staring at me, waiting for my reaction.

Sighing, I laughed slightly, though there was no humour in my tone.

"Fine," I began, feeling Inner start to take over. " _ **Have fun playing ninja, but I assure you, batting your eyes and getting boyfriends will only get you killed**_." I spat.

Ino's widened, take aback by my serious tone. She was about to respond when Iruka cut her off.

"Ino, that was very rude to say to Sakura when she offered her friendship." He scolded, crossing his arms. "Your father will be notified." Ino pouted at that, glaring daggers at me.

"As for you,"

I watched as Iruka turned to me, disappointment shining in his eyes.

"Sakura, though you did have valid points, it was very unwise of you to indirectly threaten Yamanaka-san like that." I let my head hang down in shame as Iruka continued.

"Not only were you nearly late, you also caused a stir in class, which is odd, as you usually have a clean record when it comes to rambunctiousness." He raised an eyebrow before shaking his head.

"I will be calling your parents as well." I nodded, looking the brown haired man in the eye.

"My apologies Iruka-sensei, my actions were severely out of hand. I apologize to you too, Ino-san."

Iruka nodded at the both of us before clapping his hands in excitement, a grin on his face.

"Today, are all going from being mere academy students to actual ninja, and I for one, am very proud of you all."

I zoned Iruka out, opting to talk to Inner instead.

 **Cha! We showed her, right?! Hey, why are you giving me that look, 'Kura?**

I sighed, before glaring at her mentally. Inner taking over was quite the rare occurrence, and she usually never did it over something so.. petty.

 _What the hell was that about, Inner?_ I asked, narrowing my eyes slightly.

Inner laughed nervously, before attempting to speak again. This time, however, I cut her off.

 _You took over my body, and you're going to tell me why as soon as we get home._

 **Sakura, please I c-** _We will talk when we get home._

Finalising the conversation, I forced myself to pay attention as Iruka started calling us up to get our hitae-ate.

I listened as the names of my comrades went on and on, until he reached my name. Iruka-sensei smiled at me warmly as I made my way up to him.

I said a few generic words of gratitude before taking my hitae-ate and fastening it around my neck. I bowed to the scarred jounin before bowing to my class.

Making my way back to my seat with Naruto, a grin graced my face as the young blonde gave me a high-five.

I watched as life repeated itself, with one thought in mind.

 _Time to rewrite history._


	3. Chapter 3

I watched with half-lidded eyes as Naruto began setting up a prank for Kakashi. I sighed, looking down at the sketch I had created, which conveniently looked like a fusion between Naruto and Sasuke.

I wasn't the best artist but Sai had taught me some things during one of our missions together.

My lips pursed at the memory of my friend. Where is he now? Is he already working for ROOT? Another sigh escaped my lips as I got even more bored than I already was. Looking to my left, I grinned as I noticed Sasuke belittling Naruto about his prank, a wonderful idea surfacing in my mind.

"Ne, Sasuke-san" I started, earning a disinterested grunt in return. "I betcha' twenty ryo that Naruto's prank is gonna work."

The avenger raised an eyebrow, before shrugging.

"Hn," He crossed his arms arrogantly, narrowing his eyes at me.

"Our sensei is supposedly a jounin, he _can't_ fall for that. Get ready to pay up Haruno." He scoffed, and I bet that he was planning to use the money just to buy tomatoes.

I smirked, watching as the silver-haired man strolled into the classroom, only to get eraser dust all over him.

Wiping the specks off of him, he gave us an eye crinkle smile.

"Mah, your first impression is shaping up to be pretty bad," He teased, causing me to raise an eyebrow. He didn't say this last time.

"Meet me on the roof so we can go over our team dynamics. Hurry up, you only have five minutes!" He exclaimed cheerfully, before he shunshin-ed to the top of the building.

I followed suit, doing the two hand signs needed to do the jutsu. With a poof of smoke, I was on the roof with Kakashi-sensei. I cringed as the smoke disappeared, my seal burning.

I gave my sensei a weary smile, which he raised an eyebrow at. He scanned me up and down with his one visible eye, sizing me up.

"Ah, it seems you're a bit more advanced than your team-mates, yes?" He questioned, trying to rile me up in a way.

Shaking my head, I chuckled a bit at his statement, a laugh laced with bitterness.

"Not even close, Kakashi-sensei, not even close." I smiled, mentally cursing at addressing him so casually. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, raising his one visible eyebrow at me again.

"Ne, genin-chan," He started, an accusatory tone subtly lacing his words. "How do you know my name?" Smirking up at him, I didn't miss a beat.

"Your name is in a lot of the history books at the library; you're also known as 'Copy-nin Kakashi', am I right?" I let an excited look replace my cocky expression. "Ah, I'm so excited that we'll have you as our sensei, I can finally learn how to do some actual genjutsu!"

As I gushed over the idea of getting stronger, I noticed Naruto and Sasuke's presence coming closer to us. I sighed, ending our one-sided conversation. I sat down as soon as Naruto burst through the door, breathing heavily. He sent a confused look my way before grinning triumphantly, pointing at Sasuke, who had arrived a few seconds later.

"HA! I won, Teme! Who's deadlast now?" He boasted, doing a victory dance. I watched as the pre-teen avenger twitched slightly before glaring at the blonde. He was about to reply to Naruto when Kakashi-sensei cleared his throat rather loudly.

"Mah, what a nice team dynamic," Sarcasm dripped off of his words, causing my teammates to glare at each other again. I sighed, watching as the two strongest men I knew bickered like children. I fought the urge to shake my head at my thoughts.

 _They are children, and at the moment, I'm a child too. I can't forget that._

Kakashi clapped his hands together, giving us an eye-crinkle smile. He motioned for the boys to sit down before speaking.

"Okay, students. My name is Kakashi Hatake, which some of you may already know," He looked at me with a raised eyebrow before continuing. "I would like all of you introduce yourselves, likes, dislikes, dreams; things like that."

"Give us an example." The deadpan genin demanded, causing my eyes to widen. Did he ask last time? I'm pretty sure it was Naruto.. or was it me? I bit my lip as my memory failed me.

Our new sensei chuckled, before crossing his arms in a nonchalant fashion.

"My name is Kakashi Hatake, my likes are none of your business, my dislikes are little kids who don't mind their business, and I have no dreams!" He chirped cheerfully, before pointing to Naruto. "Your turn, blondie."

My eyes narrowed at the man as I checked his chakra signature. He may have been Kakashi Hatake, but he wasn't the Kakashi who was nearly my father. Though he.. neglected training me, he wasn't this stand-offish in the old days, was he? I sighed yet again, focusing my attention on Naruto who was finishing his introduction.

"-y dream is to be the next Hokage! That way, the villagers will learn to trust and respect me, believe it!" His eyes shined as he finished talking, a large grin on his face. Kakashi nodded at the boy before his gaze landed on me.

"My name is Sakura Haruno." I stoically, forcing myself not to laugh at the expressions my team were making. Kakashi broke the silence by coughing.

"Anything else to add, Haruno-san?" He petitioned, causing me to shrug.

"My goal is to get stronger and to protect my family and my loved ones." I smiled lazily before leaning back on the heater I was sitting in front of. Kakashi motioned for Sasuke to begin his introduction.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha," he began, locking his fingers in front of him. "I don't like anything in particular, but I do have a lot of dislikes." He sighed before speaking again, and I could figuratively cut his killing intent with a kunai.

"What I have is not a goal, but an ambition-" I scoffed at him, causing the brat to glare at me.

"Those are synonyms." I blurted out, causing the boy to growl slightly.

"As I was saying, my _ambition_ is to kill a certain man." He muttered darkly. Kakashi let out a nearly inaudible sigh, before getting up from his squatting position.

"Well, that's it for today, kiddies. I'd like for you to meet me at the training grounds at six am sharp tomorrow!" He began making the signs for the teleportation jutsu.

"Also, I'd recommend you don't eat breakfast, don't want my cute little genin throwing up all over me!" He added, and he disappeared. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Sasuke attempted to try the jutsu, but he kept getting the signs wrong.

I was about to walk away when something inside of me caused me to pause. I turned around, looking at my boys, a red hot feeling in my belly. I watched as they begin to walk away, my lips forming a slight frown. For some reason unfathomable reason, I decided to open my mouth.

"Ah, would you guys like to join me for ramen? I'll be paying.." I mumbled,shifting my weight from one foot to the other. In an instant, Naruto was by my side, blabbering about becoming Hokage. I looked at the Uchiha with a raised eyebrow before turning around. As Naruto and I began walking, I heard the boy's quiet footsteps behind me. A grin graced my lips as Sasuke caught up to us, nostalgia washing over me.

 _Time to rebuild my bonds, and maybe make a few more._


	4. Chapter 4

A silent burp escaped me as I put down my empty bowl, I hadn't realized how long it had been since I had eaten anything. I sighed, looking over at the blonde who was finishing his fourth bowl of ramen. I nudged the boy slightly, causing him to look up at me with both noodles and broth splattered on his mouth.

I barely resisted the urge to wipe his face, instead handing him a napkin. He sent me a wolfish grin, cleaning his face before turning to face me.

"So, Sakura-chan, what are we gonna do next?" He asked, tilting his head. Shrugging my shoulders, I took a few ryo from my pouch, only to find that I was short on money. I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly, nearly planning to send a clone home to bring me some spare change when Sasuke handed me twenty ryo.

I raised an eyebrow at him before taking what I need. Leaving the money on the counter, the boys and I made our way out of the shop. I frowned as we all stopped, suppressing a yawn.

"Do you guys want to do anything else?" I asked, stretching my arms a bit. Naruto crossed his arms and stuck his tongue out, trying to think of something. After a few seconds, he shrugged his shoulders dejectedly. I sent Sasuke a look, which he just narrowed his eyes in reply.

I sighed yet again, sending both of my boys a smile.

"Well, if that's all, I'll see you guys tomorrow," I began making the hand seals for a shunshin when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Teach me how to do that." Sasuke quietly demanded, causing me to snicker. Facing him, I crossed my arms, sneering at him. He raised an expectant eyebrow at me. "Why should I? Shouldn't the number one rookie of the year already know such a simple jutsu?" I snapped, surprising not only Sasuke and Naruto, but myself as well. Sasuke grunted, glaring at me once more. Where was all of this bitterness coming from?

I forced out a laugh, once again making the hand signs albeit a bit slower.

 _Half tiger, ram._

"Thanks for the ryo, Sasuke-san. I'll be going now." With that, I was gone in a flurry of cherry blossoms.

 **...**

Appearing in the middle of the living room, I watched in amusement as my parents jumped up from their seated positions. My mother walked over to my, her eyes scanning me from head to toe. With a withered sigh, she frowned down at me, worry shining in her slightly glassy eyes. A small gasp escaped my lips as she took me into her arms, holding me close. I awkwardly snaked my arms around her, feeling her shake every so often.

"It's so late, Kura-chan.." My father whispered, causing me to narrow my eyes at him. It was only around nine o'clock, not even close to curfew. He sighed at my expression, sitting down next to me and my mother, before speaking again. "It's the first time you've been out all day, we were worried." He smiled softly, looking at my mom who was looking away sheepishly. "Someone was a _bit_ more worried." He laughed, causing the blonde hugging me to pout at him. I heard a faint 'idiot' come from the woman before she sat up on her own, grinning sheepishly.

I blinked at my parents, confused over their interactions.

The last time I had seen them, my mother was the most stoic person I had known, almost as bad as Sasuke, and my father..he was always depressed. Even as a child, they were never around that much, but now..

Something had changed.

I stared on as my parents bickered with each other, their bantering seeming so familiar, yet so different. I looked away as my parents began to kiss, excusing myself into my room.

 _Me coming into the past wouldn't have changed this much. Hell, at this point, I haven't even done anything different besides befriending Naruto earlier!_

 **Someone's in a bit of a jam, eh?** I growled at the voice, shaking my head as I sauntered into my bedroom. I let out a sigh as I collapsed onto my bed, rubbing my sore neck. I stared at the ceiling, wishing things could just be simple. I rolled over, going over everything that has happened in the current..past up until this moment. I went from all the tiny things to all of the big changes. I frowned as negative thoughts started to pour in, and I could feel a headache coming on. I began to sense for my own chakra, satisfied at the fact that despite being in my younger body, I still had my chakra from the future. Guilt began to build up inside of me, as a realization struck me. Because of the chakra Pein and Tsunade-sama gave me, I had left them defenseless against Madara..

 _I_ had caused their deaths..

 **SHUT UP! IT'S NOT-...It's not your fault, Sakura. Sure, it may have been for nothing, but look at it this way: that was the past, so stop living in it!** Inner cried, causing me to look down.

 _But how am I going to stop this by myself? I can't just prevent a whole war! This chakra means nothing if I can't even pinpoint what to do!_ I argued, angry tears springing into my eyes, but I wouldn't let them fall. I grit my teeth as Inner began to speak again.

 **Why are you so sure that you'll fail? We literally haven't even been a genin for two days yet, and you're acting like the war's gonna start tomorrow! Don't tell me you're** _ **that**_ **worried?** Inner questioned, causing me to growl.

 _You don't understand! This wasn't planned in advance, this was just sprung on me! They expected me to stop a war, as a genin! Why am I so young, is there something I have to prevent now?! You don't get it Inner, I can't just up and disappear when I don't understand, I have to deal with it head on! There are so many things changing already, how am I going to handle it when_ _**I**_ _have to be the one to change them by myself!?_

 **It's always about you, isn't it? Well, think about it, I'm you too! Do you think it's easy, being jumbled here with all of your thoughts, worries, and emotions?! It's you who doesn't understand what I'm going through! You think this is hard? You haven't even seen half of the things I have!** Inner snarled, forcing me to look at her with my mind's eye.

I could barely hide my surprise when she pulled me to her height, her scarred fist clenching around my neck.

 _Inner.. what happened to you?_ I took note of how bloodshot and sunken in her eyes were. She glared at me before laughing, though no humour was evident in her tone. Her eyes were glassy and unblinking as simply told me that she's been through hell. I gazed at her in confusion, was my mind really torturing her? She forced out another bitter laugh before setting me down.

 **I'll...you'll figure it out sooner or later, you always do.** She mused, mostly to herself. I was about to question her when something seemed to have caught her attention. My split personality looked down at me, a pained sigh coming from her lips. **Go to sleep, Sak. You're gonna have one hell of a day tomorrow.** And with that, she forced me out of our shared subconscious. I growled at that, though heeding her advice. My migraine had already set in, and I didn't want to think anymore.

 **...**

I frowned at myself in the mirror, my eyes _still_ bloodshot from the flashbacks I call nightmares. Blinking, I looked away from my reflection, shaking my head in anguish. I hadn't thought it through, I didn't really have a choice when taking this mission. I didn't now seeing their faces could invoke such a reaction.

A sharp inhale was the only comfort I had in this empty bathroom, the sound ringing in my ears. I looked at my appearance again, nearly snorting. How can I call myself a kunoichi- a saviour, when dreams can cause me to fall apart?

 _No,_ I began, scowling at my reflection. _Not dreams, memories.._

My nails dug deep into the sink when Inner gave a scoff. Ignoring her, I fingered my still damp hair, trying to decide what to do with it. I played with it, trying to stall the inevitable. I watched as my eyes hardened, making me look much older than what I physically was. I shook my head at nothing in particular before taking a kunai in my hands. With a flick of the wrist, pink locks lay scattered on the floor, cut with a grace no child should have. Ignoring the small twinge in my heart, I quickly tidied up, making sure not a tiny strand could be found. Nodding in approval at my outfit, I walked out of my bathroom, slipping the kunai back into my pouch. I quirked an eyebrow as I felt around the emptiness of the pouch, a small smile making it's way onto my face.

Kakashi was going to be late anyway, who says I can't go shopping?

 **...**

I wore a satisfied grin as I made my way to the training grounds, pouch heavy and stomach full.

I smiled at Naruto who began to greet me before I even reached him. An amused smirk graced my lips as I noticed Sasuke eye my bag from his sitting position. Naruto also noticed my bag, instantly asking about it's contents. He stopped speaking as I pulled out a bento box. Passing it to him, I made my way over to Sasuke, who glared at me.

 _I bet he's mad 'cause I didn't teach him that jutsu._ I teased inwardly, sending the boy a sheepish smile. "I know Kakashi-sensei said not to eat anything, but I just have a feeling he said that to screw with us," I admitted. Sasuke looked away, still giving me the silent treatment. I hid a chuckle at his behavior. If he's gonna be like that, I guess I'll just have to use the big guns. At that thought, I began scratching the back of my head in feigned nervousness, putting the bag in front of him.

"I didn't know what you liked, but I doubt you're allergic to tomatoes." Walking over to Naruto, I bit my lip to keep me from smirking. Though, I couldn't help grinning when I heard the ruffling of the plastic bag accompanied by the sounds of a tomato being eaten. Sitting next to the knuckle-headed ninja, I attempted to strike up a conversation, but all he wanted to do was talk about ramen. I suppressed a sigh before flicking the boy's cheek gently. He looked up at me from his laying position, an eyebrow quirked.

"Naruto, after this test, would you like to come over for dinner tonight?" I questioned, before adding, "To celebrate becoming _actual_ genin." I carefully gauged his reaction, frowning slightly when he looked away.

"What if we don't pass?" His voice wavered, and I could feel my heart break.

" _We will."_

Naruto's eyes shone at my statement, but he looked down at the ground, shoulders drooping. I was about to question his strange behavior when I was interrupted by the _lovely_ voice of Kakashi Hatake.

"Mah, I'm a bit disappointed in all of you." He teased, a gloved hand resting on his hip. "Not only were you guys lazing about, you disobeyed my orders." He drawled, shaking his head. I ignored the glare Sasuke sent my way, opting to instead give Kakashi an apologetic look.

"My cute little genin sure are rebellious, eh?" He mumbled before clearing his throat. Walking over to the three logs, he pulled a tiny timer out of his vest pocket, placing it on the ground. He pressed a button before turning to us.

"The timer is set to.. 10:00 am." He decided, opening his hand which held two gleaming bells. Holding them by a red thread, he tied them around a loop in his belt.

"Originally, I was going to give you until noon, but as Ninja, you need to learn that there will be consequences to your actions!" He stated cheerfully, causing me to look away, guilt gnawing at me.

"If you're able to snatch a bell, you pass. If ya'dont.. well, say hi to Iruka for me!" He joked, getting into a defensive stance.

"On my count, I want you to come at me with killing inten-" He was interrupted by a flash of orange. I watched with a lazy smirk as Naruto attempted to attack our sensei.

Keyword being _attempted_.

Trapped in a firm headlock, the blonde glared at the masked jounin, a scowl formed on his face. Kakashi gave a smug laugh, and with a yell of start, the test had begun.

 **...**

My eyes scanned all around, the wet vegetation serving as a hiding spot while I thought out my strategy. Soft breaths coupled with the rustling of the trees that swayed in the rain proved to be a good stimulus for ideas because my head was filled to the brim with them. After concealing my chakra, I stealthily searched for my teammates, letting out a soft curse when I realized that Naruto was still trying to go one on one with Kakashi. Without wasting any time, I made a clone. Instantly, she henge'd into Naruto and attacked Kakashi from behind. With a smirk, I appeared behind my friend, grabbing onto his arm and teleported into a large bush. My smirk grew when I felt the familiar chakra of the one and only Sasuke Uchiha. Locking my finger together, I gazed in his direction, letting him know that I was aware of his presence.

With a grunt, the broody teen crawled out of his hiding place, frustration highly apparent in his eyes. Locking eyes with both of my teammates, I began mapping out a plan. Naruto stared, both his eyes and his grin widening at my idea. Sasuke, on the other hand, had a seemingly permanent scowl on his face.

"And that's when you Sasuke makes a fireball, and I take control of Kakashi's body! When I do that, Naruto-" I paused, causing the little ball of sunshine to straighten up. "That's when you swipe the bells." I stood up in my seated position, a determined grin on my face. I was about to set some traps when Sasuke interrupted me.

"It just doesn't add up, Haruno. If you used logic, then you would see that we would be fighting each other for the bells, as opposed to using.. teamwork." He spat out the word as if it were venomous. He crossed his arms in a smug fashion, his glare not letting up in the slightest.

"How do we know you're not just trying to the bells to yourself?" He asked, and I felt the urge to completely bash his face in.

"I literally just said that Naruto would get the bells, not me. Listen, we don't have enough time to argue about it, despite your arguing, we _need_ to work together to pass this test." I nearly begged, though his glare was yet to cease. I exhaled loudly, resisting the urge to face-palm. I gave him a pointed look, a scowl forming on my face.

"Listen here Uchiha, I get that you don't want to work with us," I paused, looking for a reaction, resuming when I didn't get one. "Your personal opinion doesn't matter at the moment- Despite what you want, we're a team and we need to work together to pass this test." My voice held a tone of finality as my scowl deepened.

"Unless you have a better strategy, you're gonna have to follow mine. Weakness will not be tolerated on this mission, Uchiha." I growled, instinctively raising my kunai towards the stubborn brat.

"Sakura-chan," I turned to the blonde boy, who looked a little scared. "As annoying as Sasuke is being, calm down! This is just a stupid test, ya'know!" He piped up, sticking his tongue out at Sasuke childishly.

 _Childishly._

I frowned, holding in a curse. I had forgotten that they weren't like me. That they were just kids. Inner was right.. I really do need to stop living in the past.

"I-..I'm sorry, guys." I mumbled, scratching the back of my head. "I guess I just really want to pass, ya'know?" I looked down at the ground apologetically. I looked up again when I heard Sasuke snort, that sound filling me with a emotion that lingered on exasperated and annoyed.

My eyebrows furrowed as I tried to think of a way to get through to him. Slowly, a soft grin split onto my face, my former stressed expression non-existent. Chuckling sweetly, I turned to the Uchiha, my eyes baring into his.

"Ah, Sasuke-san; you do want to defeat that.." I paused, a sly smirk creeping onto my lips. "Special someone, yes?" I questioned, and his eyes turned cold.

"What does that have to do-" I interrupted the boy, a single finger raised it the air.

"You do know that in order to be a ninja, you _HAVE_ to pass this test. If you don't, you can say goodbye to killing that person." I stated haughtily, before sending him a glare. "If you want to get sent back to the academy, be my guest." I told him before crossing my arms.

"So, what's it going to be, Uchiha?"

 **...**

With a confident sigh, I had finished planting all of my traps. Yeah, most of them were going to fail, but it was the thought that counts!

 **Keep telling yourself that.** Inner chimed in, causing me to roll my eyes. I silently tested my trap, grinning before retrieving my kunai. I checked for Kakashi's chakra, my grin faltering when I realized how close he was. Sweat dripped down my brow a bit, but all I can do is hope that my teammates stick to the plan. I jumped when I felt a strange chakra signature behind me, but I had quickly caught on to his plan. It's funny really, seeing as Naruto had done this last time as well.

I turned around, looking my teammate in the eye.

"Sasuke! I take it the plan is in motion?" I questioned, watching the boy's eyes harden. I felt his chakra spike, and my smile grew.

"Sakura," he started, before assuming a fighting stance. I grinned at him, mimicking his pose. "It's obvious that we have to fight for the bells, and it's even more obvious that you're going to use this whole "teamwork" shtick to your advantage." He spat, before he narrowed his eyes yet again.

"You can't beat me, Sakura. You should stop while you're behind. You and Naruto are just going to slow me down."

And the short-lived facade crumbled.

My lips curled into a smile as I stared at my teammate.

"Ah, that's quite the impression you got there, Kakashi-sensei." I praised, crossing my arms in front of my chest, grinning at his surprised expression. He smiled, the expression making me look quite uncomfortable. There was a poof, and there stood Kakashi in all of his glory. He gave an eye-crinkle smile, before tilting his head slightly. He put a hand on his hip before addressing his predictable questions.

"Ne, quite the detective skills you have, Sakura!" He chirped, before raising his one visible eyebrow. "What tipped you off?"

I shrugged my shoulders before looking up at the man, who seemed a bit closer than before.

"Well, for starters, your chakra signature was an obvious red flag, I mean it kept flickering- I mean, you were being obvious on purpose right?" I paused, rubbing my chin in thought. "..And your voice was too brash." Kakashi nodded his head in approval. I smiled as he inched closer, he was almost in position. "C'mon, have a little faith in my abilities, sensei!" I grinned as he lunged at me.

The silver-haired man jumped when he felt the sharp blade of kunai against his back, before giving a grin of his own.

"Mou, and I thought this was going to be easy, Sakura-chan." He complained, before appearing behind me, our positions now switched. I shrugged nonchalantly as his kunai moved with my vocal chords.

"Step one is to erase all of your expectations of me." I stated before being replaced with a log. I winced yet again as the pain in my neck resurfaced, but I grinned through the pain. I looked up at the sky, watching with a frown as the sun was blocked out by all of the clouds. Glancing over to the bushes, I sent a slight nod to my teammates.

I jumped up, dodging the shuriken that Naruto had sent my way. I narrowed my eyes at the orange-clad boy, but before I could yell at him, Sasuke sent a kunai my way.

"Guys, what about the plan!" I yelped, blocking a jab aimed at my side from Kakashi. Naruto snorted, a sheepish grin planted on his face.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan, but those bells are mine!" He yelled, charging at Kakashi head-on. I glared at him before sending a sideways glance at Sasuke. He nodded, and we began making signs at the same time.

 _Half tiger, ram._

With that, Sasuke appeared behind Kakashi-sensei, and his hands moved like lightning. Immediately after he performed the handsigns, a giant fireball shot out of his mouth, flying over all of our heads. Kakashi looked confused, but when he locked eyes with me, it was too late.

"Shadow Bind Jutsu!"

We crossed our arms, a confident smirk on my face, while the silver haired jounin just looked frazzled. Looking over to Naruto, Kakashi beckoned the boy to come over to him, his eyes wary of the clones surrounding him. With the flick of our wrist, Naruto held the bells in his hand, shaking them triumphantly in Kakashi's face. Said sensei gave me an exasperated glance, causing me to chuckle and to release him from my jutsu. As soon as my shadow left him, a gasp escaped my lips as I fell to the ground in pure agony.

I heard Naruto shout my name before everything went black.


End file.
